The Brooklyn Rail

I first came across Kevin Carey’s work when reading his crime novel Murder in the Marsh, where I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did he know how to keep you on the edge of your seat with a thrilling crime story, but he did so with lyrical expertise while still being playful with language. 

His upcoming novel, Junior Miles and the Junkman, is nothing like Murder in the Marsh. Well, the story that is, as it’s not a crime thriller intended for adults but instead a middle grade novel about love, loss, and hope. Truthfully, middle grade or young adult books are not always my first choice, as I tend to stick mainly to the adult literary genre, but I was curious to see what a wordsmith like Carey was able to do with a book like this one. I have to say, he surprised me once again by luring me into this thoughtful story and didn’t let me go until the very end. 

This short book of less than two hundred pages is a quick read, but not because of its size. The language is easily digestible, of course intended for a younger audience, but it is still impressive in its use of words with bold statements that speak the truth and tug at your heart: “But this was the real world. Where bullies picked on kids who were different. Where kids lived in junkyards. Where fathers died.”

Even the very last line of the book, which I will let you read for yourself so as not to spoil anything, was spot on and relatable. 

For me, it was this relatability that Carey provided in this young character that really spoke to me. As a kid in elementary school, Junior “Perfect” Miles, as his father called him, is complex. He has a bad foot that has set him back in many ways, not being able to walk or run as fast as the other kids, and having the school’s bully and his posse constantly pick at him by calling him names like “gimp” and “Frankenstein.” However, when Junior loses his father to cancer is when I really felt a connection to him. Losing my own father to cancer when I was in my twenties allowed Junior’s emotional struggles to resonate. 

“I never thought it was possible for a heart… My heart… And probably Mama’s… To break in so many pieces.”

Junior’s father, like my father, like many fathers, was special. Not only did he take old junk he found in the junkyard where they lived and turn it into art, but he taught his son to love things that aren’t always viewed as lovable, making Junior into this thoughtful, compassionate little human who you want to see exceed. 

Days before Junior’s father died, he secretly worked on an art sculpture for his son, which was revealed after his passing and referred to as the Junkman, or what Junior calls him, Mr. Miles. The large sculpture is crafted out of old pieces of junk his father found, including a watering can used for the head. It’s this strange and almost creepy thing that could scare some in its vast size, but to Junior it was beautiful because it was created by his father. What Junior doesn’t know is the huge impact this sculpture will have on his life, making it all the more special, like his father himself. 

Mr. Miles begins speaking to Junior in riddles that confuse him but nevertheless push him on an incredible journey with his best friend Isaac, all in efforts to help save their junkyard from getting sold. Junior’s father, while special, was not always great with money, and left Junior in a financial mess after his death. It seemed as though the only option for financial stability was to sell the junkyard to make a profit, but Mr. Miles had another plan. As Junior listens to this Junkman and goes on extraordinary goose chases to try and help make money for his family, such as selling his father’s other creative sculptures, we see him grappling with his loss while being bullied at school. 

Carey has a way of allowing real life issues to come through in this story while keeping it light. Thanks to the magical realism of Mr. Miles and the fun adventure these two friends are on, this is a read that both kids and adults can appreciate and enjoy. 

None of this should have come to any surprise to me, really, given Carey’s background. He is a jack of all trades, a master at all things writing. Not only a novelist, but he is also a poet. His poems have appeared at The Academy of American Poets Poem a Day and he has three books of poetry out, The One Fifteen to Penn Station (2012), Jesus Was a Homeboy (2016) , and Set in Stone (2020). That is impressive enough, but Carey is also a filmmaker who has co-directed and co-produced the documentaries, All That Lies Between Us (2012) and Unburying Malcolm Miller (2017), and is a playwright who created the murder mystery comedy The Stand or Sal is Dead that premiered in June 2018.

Between his past accomplishments and his latest step into the middle grade genre, Carey proves he can not only do it all, but can do it well. He has a knack for creating these unique worlds that may not be like our own but are still relatable while having some fun along the way. Similar to Murder in the Marsh, Junior Miles and the Junkman is an engaging tale that doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. Who knew a Junkman made of items tossed away and left behind by others could shed light on how we grieve to keep going, well after our loved ones are no longer there. Apparently, Carey knew. He knew all along.